


Romantic

by MissWonnykins



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Coming Together to Help Our Idiot Friend, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Sappy Ending, Small Amounts of Foul Language, disgustingly cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 14:46:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7980424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissWonnykins/pseuds/MissWonnykins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ash probably owes this entire day to his extended circle of friends. More than likely. All right, he owes it ENTIRELY to them - especially since they didn't abandon him after he woke up hours after he was supposed to be out and about pulling things together. </p>
<p>Who ever said this was going to be easy...?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Romantic

**Author's Note:**

> I finished this some months ago and debated posting it for a while. The couple people I did fork it over to liked it and encouraged me to post it, so here it is. It doesn't connect with any of the stories I've already posted, it's just a stand alone piece of soppy, sappy crap. Enjoy. : >

In the years that had passed, there were several things that hadn't changed. Ash Ketchum still seemingly had the romantic tendencies of a brick, for example, and also never seemed to be on time for anything.

His alarm didn't go off one morning; this was typical on an average morning, as Ash had very few places to be and enjoyed sleeping in late. That day in particular was important, however, because when he finally _did_ open his eyes to discover it was well past noon he practically strangled himself in his bed-sheets in a rush to escape them. "Pikachu...! OW--Bitch--" The man was twenty-two, but still pouted as he stubbed his toe on the end of his bed. "Pikachu! Buddyyyyyy, you were supposed to wake me up!"

"Peh-kub." Was the rodent's lazy response from where it lay at the foot of his bed. Apparently, it also hadn't stirred when the alarm had gone off. Ash scowled at it, looking rather betrayed.

"You're supposed to be getting something out of this, too, y'know..." He grumbled, grabbing his towel from the back of the hotel room door before slipping into the bathroom. When Pikachu's ears perked up and the Pokemon gave a small, questioning squeak, Ash smirked in its general direction. "You know...tall, Dark-Type and gorgeous?"

The man gave a satisfied snort as his Pokemon bolted off the bed and into the bathroom, where it hopped onto the sink and proceeded to turn on the faucet. While it hurriedly washed itself in the sink, Ash stepped into the shower to quickly scrub his hair clean. The day before had been long, starting with a flight from over-seas to Kalos and several battles between the airport to Lumoise. His Kalos-native friends had wanted to catch up, and they had stayed up well into the night drinking at the city's Gym. Groaning at the reminder of the dull ache pounding away in his head, the dark-haired man stepped onto the bathmat and half-heartedly towel-dried himself. The clock was angrily telling him when he stepped out into the hotel room that it was well past time for him to have been awake, and he cringed. "Fuck, she's going to be pissed..."

"Pika-Pika." Pikachu mournfully agreed, trotting out next to him and attempting to flatten the fur on the top of its head. Feeling pity for his starter, Ash scooped it up and did his best to help. The yellow Pokemon chirped happily, and for a moment Ash forgot that he was supposed to be meeting someone for a very carefully planned day out. For a moment.

Then his Pokegear began to vibrate on the nightstand, and it came rushing back. Barely managing to grab it while keeping his towel around his waist, he breathed a sigh of relief at the caller-ID before accepting the call. "Yo?"

" _Where are you?!_ " Came the screeching reply. Frowning, Ash held the device away from his ear, rummaging in his backpack for underwear and socks. " _You were supposed to be here for your fitting two hours ago! You're so lucky I have these connections, Ash Ketchum..._ "

"I am, Serena," He agreed, sickeningly sweet, "Really, truly lucky."

" _So then why aren't you here?!_ " She shot back, sounding every bit as irritated as a Skitty at a dunk tank.

"Well, see, funny story--"

" _You overslept, didn't you?_ "

His silence was likely telling, because the woman gave a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...! Look, have you heard from Tracey?"

" _No._ " Serena admitted, " _But that doesn't mean you can take your time! I'll tell Misty._ "

Wincing at the idea of dealing with both Serena AND Misty's combined wrath, he cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear so he could put on his socks and pacify the blond at the same time. "There's no reason to do that. Look, I'm on my way now, I promise. Just keep batting your eyelashes or whatever it is girls do."

" _You have ten minutes, Ash Ketchum, and then I'm calling your mother._ " The line went dead right after, and Ash practically magicked himself into his clothes out of fear. The threat of telling his mother that he was running so far behind was very real, and she would be...disappointed, to say the least.

Grabbing Pikachu and placing it on his shoulder, he yanked open the hotel room door and raced out. He only had to go back twice: once for his Pokegear, and the other for his wallet. He would need both quite a bit.

\--

Serena had gone from a long-haired beauty to a short-haired tomboy within a month, when Ash had met her long ago. Since then, she had become absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and did rather well in contests. She had a strong rivalry going with May Maple. That day the blond was dressed in a smart pencil skirt with a modest blouse, hair tied up in a messy knot on the top of her head. There had been a time where she would have looked at Ash, dressed in an under-armor tee shirt and jeans, and blushed. That day, she merely glared with her lips pursed in irritation. The days where she had been infatuated with her friend were long gone. Pity, Ash couldn't help but think; would have saved him some trouble if she had been.

"Two and a half _hours_." The woman hissed at him as he drew up beside her. The shop they were in was posh, and he very nearly hadn't been let in the door. It was only due to Serena's status that he'd managed to get an appointment there at all. "You're impossible."

The man shrugged sheepishly, attempting a weak grin that Serena only narrowed her eyes at. "I'm sorry. Really."

The blond shook her head, beckoning an employee over to her side. "We're terribly sorry for my friend's lateness." She began, her expression changing to something far less venomous and even sweet, "He will of course be paying your fee for such."

"Of course, ma'am."

"Wait, what?" Ash tried to cut in, only to have the girl put a finger to his mouth.

After leveling the trainer with a sharp glare, she turned her charm back to the man waiting beside her. "I'm thinking a straight black, but make the vest grey and the shirt a dark red. Accentuate the shoulders. And for the love of Arceus, please teach this idiot how to tie a tie. Honestly...schedules one of the most important days of his life and won't even show up to a fitting on time."

"Most amusing, madam." The employee replied with a small smile. He then grasped Ash's upper arm, pulling him away. "Come along, this way now."

"Wait...! Serena...?!"

She merely waved, smirking, and accepted Pikachu when the rodent jumped into her arms. "I'll keep Pikachu company, Ash!~ Watch out for the pins!"

"PINS?!"

"The young sir has never been properly fitted, I see?" Came the other man's voice, and Ash scowled at him sourly.

\--

Serena was not alone when Ash emerged, but he'd expected that. Waiting with her and gossiping were his other two friends, May Maple and Dawn Berlitz. The girls all enjoyed the perks of being in Contests and did not pass up chances to visit places such as this. That day, however, they were waiting for him, and when he cleared his throat they all whipped around and stared.

Dawn was the one who cried.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!" She wailed, fanning her face with both hands. "Somebody h-had to start since your m-m-mom's not here yet...!" Serena passed her a tissue, and the woman blew her nose with a loud honk. Ash, strangely comfortable in the fitted suit, rocked back and forth on the dress shoes he'd been given as the girls collected themselves and spoke in hushed whispers together.

Serena stood first, clasping her hands in front of her. The other two women followed suit. For a moment, they said nothing.

Just as Ash was about to strangle the man who had been sticking him with pins for the past hour, Serena's face broke into a wide smile and she threw her arms around his neck. "Perfect!" She cried, and it was echoed by his other two friends. He reached out to catch one in each arm, snickering.

"So, I clean up nice?"

"Ugh, no." May drew away, frowning. "No no no. Not YOU. But...the clothes look nice. You still need to sit down in a barber's chair."

"Did you not shave?!" Dawn lamented next, grabbing Ash's jaw and forcing his head to one side. She gasped in shock. "You DIDN'T. Ash...!"

Holding up his hands for peace, the man backed away a step. "Now listen--"

But of course they didn't. Mourning the loss of his funds as he paid for the outfit, he allowed himself to be dragged away by the trio of tittering women, Pikachu hot on his heels and snickering all the while.

That is, until Serena mentioned: "Pikachu could use a trim, too."

The Pokemon looked so terrified that Ash nearly felt sorry for it. Nearly.

\--

May, Dawn, and Serena handed Ash off - freshly shaven and hair trimmed and tamed - to Brock and Misty around four. The pair seemed incredibly bored until Brock noticed the four of them coming. The man nudged the red-headed woman next to him on their bench, and she swatted at him until spotting Ash as well. Her hands went to her mouth.

"Same." Dawn sighed as she sat next to her, only for the redhead to stand and approach her friend.

Misty Waterflower had become no less of a tomboy over time, and so she didn't cry when she examined Ash. She did, however, nod and wetly say "It'll do", which the others laughed at. She then smacked at his chest. "You're LATE, Ash!"

"Very late." Brock cut in before the gaggle of girls could get started on Ash's tardiness again. "So we need to get moving. Ladies...thank you very much. Serena, I'll see you later." The blond smiled at him, and Ash couldn't help but grin as she brushed a lock of hair from Brock's face. Then he was being grabbed up under each arm by his oldest friends and marching away down the street, the other three women behind them waving and promising to see them later.

"Thanks..."

Brock shook his head. "Don't. What were you thinking? You're lucky he has no clue: Tracey called me earlier and said he's been complaining that you haven't called--"

"FUCK...!" Ash fumbled with his Pokegear, only to have Misty yank it out of his hands. "H-hey!"

But the woman frowned at him, carefully selecting a number in his contacts and holding it to his ear. The man swallowed, listening to it ring--

" _Ash?_ "

"Gary." He breathed, thankful that someone finally seemed happy to hear from him for once that day. "Hey. Sorry, I know I promised to call--"

" _Hold on, hold on--_ " There was some fumbling in the background, and Ash heard the man speaking with an older gentleman. The other voice was oddly familiar, and Ash knew why as soon as Gary returned. " _Gramps showed up today. Not sure why...it's kind of a long way for him to just pop up 'just because'. Did he say anything to you...?_ "

"Ahhh...y'know, I think he might've." Ash admitted, carefully.

" _Huh._ " Gary clucked his tongue on the other end, and the corner of Ash's mouth twitched up into a smile. " _...Well...I mean, it's a nice surprise, I guess. Listen, he wants me and him to head out for a little while, so if you had plans to swing by the labs, hold off for a little bit, okay?_ "

A shop was coming up on his left, and Misty made a motion for Ash to wrap up the call. "Uhhh yep. I got it. Tell him I said 'hi', okay?"

There was some mumbling in the background, followed by muffled laughter. " _He says 'hello'. I'll catch you later. Love you._ "

Something extremely large seemed to have lodged itself in his throat, but he managed to repeat the sentiment even as his two friends snickered soundlessly beside him. The moment he was finished, Misty yanked the device away from his ear and shoved it back into his pants pocket. "You two are saps." She grumbled, smirking up at him, and Ash groaned like a dying Wailord.

"This is why I wanted to do this myself."

"What, and oversleep the entire day? I don't think so." The girl admonished with an accusing finger.

Brock hushed them both, holding open the door to the shop they'd approached. The place was quiet, with a couple well-dressed folks admiring large glass cases of gemstones and jewelry. A giant, complete fossil of a Tyrantrum was embedded in the back wall; fossils, Mega Stones, and evolutionary stones were scattered among the inventory. For all his poor planning and timing, Ash had done this bit of research himself and his friends had all been impressed with his choice. Steeling himself, he approached the back counter where a young woman was working. "Scuse me, ma'am?"

The woman looked up, smiling faintly. "Mr. Ketchum. We've been expecting you. I think some of us were starting to wonder if you were getting cold feet."

Ash smiled back. He'd been in the store several times within the past month, pouring over catalogs and pictures and holding various pieces. "Been planning this too long to just up and not come back." He reasoned as his friends joined him. "Is it ready?"

With a nod, the woman disappeared through a saloon-style doorway to the left of the Tyrantrum fossil wall. While they waited, Ash pointed out several pieces under the glass below them.

"You considered that one?" Misty asked, eyes wide as she took in a faceted Blastoiseite. "It's a bit silly, really..."

Ash nodded. "I know, I did my homework." He assured her.

Beside him, Brock motioned in one of the books on the counter that Ash had been talking him through. "And this?" He asked, pointing to a plain looking band. "Meteorite, Amura bone, and Stardust? This wasn't your final choice?"

With a laugh, the dark-haired man straightened. The employee had returned, baring with her a box. "You'll see." He murmured, before turning back as the woman presented the box. It was wooden, and when he opened the lid it revealed the inside was cushioned in a deep, forest-green silk. He heard Misty draw in a breath and felt Brock tense beside him as he gingerly picked up what was sitting on the silk.

"Oh...oh Ash..." A pair of gentle hands reached out, taking the ring from him. Misty seemed caught between tears and awe. "Ash, this is perfect."

"Agreed." Brock gruffly added on, sounding a bit hoarse all of a sudden. Ash handed him the ring next, and the man held it up to examine it. It was completely silver, with tiny black bits of onyx inlaid in the shapes of Unown around the stone in the middle: a piece of Amber. "What's...inside of it?"

"Confirmed to be one strand of fur from the ancient Pokemon Mew." The employee supplied, to the shocked faces of Ash's friends. "The pinkish coloring is of course the give-away, but there's a small hole in the back of the stone where our scientists carefully collected a sample to test. It is one of the rarest finds...for whatever reason, the ancient Pokemon Mew did not leave very many physical remains from which DNA can be collected from. That hair is very, very valuable."

"No kidding." Came Misty's breathless voice. "Ash...how--?"

He merely shrugged, taking the ring back from Brock and fondly looking into the stone at the small, pink hair. "Lots and lots of battles. High-stakes. Pikachu," He looked at his starter, perched on his shoulder, and smiled, "has been amazing. I've been saving for this for longer than a month...didn't know WHAT I wanted at the time, I just knew I had to be prepared to get the best. Did you read what it says?"

Both leaned in, examining the black markings. "...'Always running after you'." Brock murmured, before clamming up and gripping the man's shoulder tightly. "That's perfect."

"Had to think about that one a bit. Almost went with 'Two halves make a whole', but I didn't want people making jokes about it." Ash proudly stated, putting the ring back into its box. "Wanna know what the best part is?"

He nodded to the woman behind the counter, who smiled and nodded back. "The ring's band makes accessing the back of the stone simple. We designed it this way so that someone else could conduct their own research on the hair. It would be ideal for a researcher who works with resurrecting extinct Pokemon."

"If he says no, we kill him." Misty dreamily murmured, before grabbing Ash around the waist and squeezing tightly. "Way to go~"

Ash nodded, peering down into the box once again. The Amber gleamed under the artificial light, its treasure tucked away inside. When he closed it and handed it back to pay, he said: "See? I can do things right sometimes."

\--

Of course, that was where his expertise ended. Ash had explained months ago to his entire group of friends that he desperately needed help with his plan. He had begged, pleaded with them non-stop until someone had finally stepped in to calm him down. "I just want it to be...y'know...good." He'd said meekly, surrounded by faces he'd known for almost ten years. "I haven't actually taken him on a fancy dinner date or anything...I don't know the first thing about how to do this."

It was his mother who had been quick to point out what Ash neglected to say, then. She moved to sit beside her son at her kitchen table, her gentle hands on his face, and smiled. "But...~" She said, softly, "Think of all the wonderful things you've done together. Just because it isn't 'fancy' doesn't mean it isn't worth anything, honey. You said Gary seems happy with you?" When he nodded, she only smiled a little more. "Then what are you worried about?"

"Of screwing it up." He moaned, putting his head down on his arms.

"We'll help." Misty immediately had said, followed by a chorus of agreement from his friends. It took everything Ash had not to fall to pieces at the unanimous agreement to help him.

And help they had. For months, he met with bunches of them and discussed his ideas. It was a vast majority that recommended he go to Lumoise, where Gary was working under Professor Sycamore, and enact the plan there. Serena had called ahead to schedule his fitting, pulling strings to make sure everything was kept under wraps; Ash was an international celebrity of sorts, after all, and so many gym leaders roaming around in one city was bound to attract attention. Clemont and his sister, Bonnie, spoke with various media groups and law enforcement to enforce a strict agreement that the famous guests were to be kept under wraps for the time being. His female Contest friends then descended upon the city, scouring out the best possible place while keeping the researcher's tastes - provided by his grandfather and Tracey Sketchit - in mind.

At some point, of course, Ash approached the elderly professor alone in his lab.

"I don't know why you're nervous, Ash," The man had chuckled, passing the other a mug of tea, "I know why you're here, and trust me when I say that I am very much looking forward to the whole thing."

"Then...you don't mind me asking if..."

"Yes?" The old man raised an eyebrow, but gave away nothing else.

So Ash Ketchum swallowed his nerves. "I'm here to ask for your blessing...because I want to marry your grandson."

Samuel Oak gazed at him silently, blankly, and then finally could not hold the illusion any longer. He laughed, reaching up and rubbing the heel of his hand against one eye. "You be good to my boy, Ash Ketchum." He murmured, grasping Ash's hand tightly between his own, "You be good to my Gary."

They had embraced, and Ash had grinned as wide as possible. It was no secret that he looked up to the professor, and so he was happy to be accepted and to thus gain the man as his relative. There had been a time, about four or five years ago, when Gary had backpedaled on even mentioning their relationship to his grandfather. Looking back on it, it felt silly, because both Ash's mother and Gary's grandfather seemed at ease with things.

Professor Oak also had his part to play. As the trio left the jeweler's, Ash's Pokegear rang once more. He was able to get it without too much trouble, and answered.

" _Ah, hello Ash!_ " The old man cheerfully greeted through the phone.

"Sir." Ash replied immediately, "Everything okay so far?"

" _Fine, fine. Right as rain. At what point should I start ushering him along?_ "

Briefly pulling the device away from his ear to check the time, Ash answered: "Bout half an hour, Professor. Mind giving Tracey the signal so he can start giving last minute calls?"

" _Not at all. Nervous, my boy?_ "

"You have no idea."

The professor chuckled. " _Mm. In that you'd be wrong, I'm afraid. I was married once, too, you know. Besides, this is a big day for everyone, I'd say. Still, won't be anything compared to actually GETTING married...best of luck with that one, lad._ "

"Not for another year or more, at least." Ash replied with a wince, frowning as Misty began to giggle. "We'll see you later, professor. Thank you. For...for a lot of things."

" _Oh, none of that now, I've still got to go back and face him! But you're very welcome._ "

"Sounds like he's just as excited as you are." The Boulder Badge Gym Leader absently observed aloud as they stopped on a corner.

Ash nodded. "It's a really big deal...I thought Gary was going to puke when we sat down to tell them about us years ago. This'll make him happy if his grandpa's going so far to be involved."

Latching loosely onto his arm, Misty hummed. "We're all really happy for you, y'know." She told him as they wandered across the road. "Both of you. You both really grew up and matured, and really care about each other. Even if your mom or his grandfather didn't approve, you'd still have all of us."

That made Ash chuckle, raising his other hand to his neck. "Thanks. I couldn't have worked up the nerve without all of you, anyway. Gary'd probably get bored waiting for me."

"PST!"

All three of them stopped. They were standing next to an ally, and when they turned to look, there were two tall figures standing in the shadows, a small Pokemon at their feet. All three of them tensed, but one of the shadowy figures held up a hand. "Take it easy, twerp; we're not here to cause trouble." The voice was rather feminine. The woman stepped forward, revealing herself to be Jessie of Team Rocket. It was obvious who the other two were.

"Or make it double." Came James' voice next.

"Meowth, that's right!"

"We're in a bit of a hurry." Misty spoke up, cautiously.

Jessie shrugged, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "Well, you can either believe us or not. We've been doing a bit of listening-in for the past few months...sounds like you're all set. We're just here to give you a couple last-minute updates."

The three friends looked to one another before Ash heaved a sigh and looked back at the Rockets. "All right...but please, promise me you won't mess this up."

"And ruin such a perfect declaration of truth and love? Perish the thought." The redhead pouted before straightening. "You should know that there will be some construction going on near where you're supposed to meet up. Advise you to let whoever is chaperoning your beloved know so they can avoid it."

"Useful." Ash admitted, crossing his arms. "What else?"

James cleared his throat. "Team Flare has been acting aggressively at night. Some of the younger members in particular are prone to setting fires. THAT bit we can take care of for you, if you'd like. No strings." He held up a finger when Ash protested, "Take this as a favor. We owe you."

Once again, the three friends exchanged looks and nodded. "Anything else?"

"Me-OWTH." The Pokemon bounced forward. "Don' take d' t'ird elevata from d' left! Gets stuck abou' twice on d' way up!"

Ash raised a brow. "Someone tell you Gary was afraid of that in particular...?"

The cat-Pokemon snickered, sneaking back into the shadows. Jessie grinned down at them next. "That's all, twerp...oh..." As they turned to go, she waved. "And good luck, of course~ You don't need to send us an invitation to the wedding...we'll be watching."

They were gone soon after, and the three friends were left bewildered at the interaction. Pikachu made a confused chirp sound, and Ash nodded. "Yeah...they're strange, huh, Buddy? Still...nice of'em to keep us updated. I guess I've got friends in higher places then I think, huh?"

"I think you mean 'lower'." Brock corrected, but grinned. "Now come on...show time."

\--

Passing on the information to the appropriate people was quick, and Ash hung up just before turning the corner to view the building he would be meeting Gary in. It was the largest, most expensive hotel in the city...one of such in the world. Some of his more famous friends had done their best to get him in, and so when he reached the counter in the lobby and spoke softly to the man at the desk, he was gestured to the elevators to take him up. Gary, thankfully, had not yet arrived, and so he took time to bid his two friends a brief farewell.

"Pokegear?" Misty sternly listed off, watching Ash take out the item in question, "Pokeballs? Wallet?...ID? Good, yep...Oh! Ring!" She sighed in relief when he opened the box and displayed the jewelry before putting it back in his inner jacket pocket, patting it to show her it was secure. "Oh good...I think he's set, Brock. What do you think?"

The stern looking, muscular man gazed silently down at his friend, examining him, before drawing Ash into a tight hug. "You'll do fine." He whimpered, pulling back. "We'll be watching, yeah?"

Misty went next, drawing Ash into a more gentle hug. "We're proud of you." Ash cringed hard, attempting to keep from getting upset over her words. "We are. You're our best friend. I think we were all expecting you to become a hermit in the mountains." All of them laughed, and he kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry." He told her, then. "I know you loved me, once."

"I still do. Just...not the way you love Gary." Misty kindly cut in. "Now go wait for him like a gentleman and ask him to marry your stupid ass."

With a nod and a final wave, his friends made to blend into the crowd. "Well..." He looked up at Pikachu, swallowing nervously, "It's now or never, Buddy."

"Pika-pi~"

Ash grinned, rubbing the Pokemon's head as he walked towards the elevators.

"--Go on over and go up for us, I have to make a call, Gary."

His ears perked up, and at once his skin felt clammy and cold. The professor passed in front of him, wandering off ahead, and Ash calmly waited.

"Beeeeee...?"

Pikachu chirped back at the dark Pokemon that came wandering up to them. The Umbreon repeated her questioning tone before blinking and turning back to where her master was approaching. Taking a deep breath, Ash followed her gaze and grinned.

Gary Oak paused a few feet away, looking properly taken aback. He had dressed himself to go to dinner with his grandfather, his dinner jacket laid over his arm. Green eyes swept down and then up, one auburn-colored brow quirking up in question over Ash's appearance. After what felt like an hour (perhaps only a minute at best), the researcher finally wandered the rest of the way over to where his Umbreon was then seated. "What um..." He paused, once again looking over Ash's attire. "...What're you doing here?"

Ash shrugged, grinning, and pressed the button for the elevator...second from the left. "Mind if I ride up with you?"

Cautiously, with one last searching look, Gary slipped past him into the glass elevator car. Umbreon and Pikachu followed, talking with one another, and Ash got in last. The doors slid closed, causing the auburn-haired boy's shoulders to tense, and Ash slipped a hand across them gently as they ascended.

"...You didn't answer my question." Gary mumbled, watching the outside view in a way that was attempting to look passive to hide his unease over being in the elevator. "You show up where me and Gramps are about to eat dressed like...that...with no warning. Press conference you didn't tell me about?"

The trainer shook his head, eyes darting towards the view of Lumoise's gym in the distance. The elevator slid to a smooth stop, and he led the shorter man out. "I have a date."

"A-...'scuse me?"

Chuckling, Ash spoke with the hostess, who directed him to follow her, and he beckoned Gary along with him. "Yeah. He just showed up."

For a moment, Gary stood still, mouth agape. Then he shook his head, letting out a small and breathy laugh. "You _planned_ this?" He asked, taking Ash's outstretched hand and following him. "Wait, so then Gramps...?"

"Sorry. You can take him here another time."

They were seated before the large glass windows overlooking the city, each Pokemon given a space to perch beside their table to also enjoy the view. "Did you really plan this, Ash?" Gary asked in a hushed voice, barely audible over the soft music.

Finally, Ash nodded. "I had help...lots of it. But yeah. I figured we needed to do this at least once. I feel like you sort of just do whatever I want to do...and it's fun and you seem happy with it, but..."

"Because it IS fun." Gary pointed out, "What, you think I don't like going out into the wilderness with you and getting into trouble? I'm not a little girl, Ash."

This made them both snicker. As they poured over the menu, Ash glanced up and around at the rest of the restaurant. It was crowded, but not overly loud...and he could see familiar faces in every corner. His friends had been spaced out among the tables in between strangers, and when a few of them caught him looking, they'd smile and nod discretely. Gary murmured something, and he turned back to discuss what they wanted to try. Beside them, Umbreon and Pikachu patted their own menus quietly to point out what they were willing to eat. It was just like any other date, Ash realized, save for how expensive everything looked and was. He didn't feel overly nervous about the place or how much money one needed to have to be there. The researcher leaned forward to whisper something they both found funny close to his ear, and as Ash joined him in soft laughter, he wondered why he was nervous at all. By the time they'd finished their food, Ash'd nearly forgotten what he'd set up the elaborate date for.

"You really do look good in that." Gary told him as their plates were taken away, a decidedly lecherous grin on his face. "I'm not saying we have to go all out like this again...but if you wanted to wear that again on a visit..."

"You're a pervert." Ash teased in return. Beside him, Pikachu poked him and looked pointedly outside, and his Beautifly and Butterfree returned to his stomach. Clearing his throat, straightening his tie, he clasped his hands on the table. "But there was a reason for this, y'know. Besides maybe fulfilling whatever awful fantasy you're thinking of."

Gary laughed with him again, reaching for his glass. "Oh good. Well, come on, what is it? You get invited to another Pokemon League? Gonna accept this time?" Ash laughed weakly, but didn't answer. Gary noticed. "...? Ash? Is...this bad news?"

At once, the world seemed to be devoid of sound and color outside of his hands clasped on the table in front of him. He was clamming up and knew it, but couldn't manage to get his throat unstuck. Gary's expression went from mildly curious to worried immediately. Ash could make out his name on the other's lips but could barely hear the sound they made.

_'I didn't suffer through months of this bullshit just to bail!'_ He thought, _'Snap out of it!'_

"Sorry...!" He held up his hands as Gary made a move to get up, effectively getting the other man to settle down. "Sorry. No, it's not bad news. I've just...been thinking about it for a while and I'm still not exactly sure how to tell you."

"And this _isn't_ bad news?" The auburn-haired man weakly asked, "Are you sure?"

Ash was aware that most of the noise in the restaurant had died off. Even the music was playing a little softer. When he spoke again, it seemed to carry a little farther even though he hadn't made himself louder. "Yeah." He replied, finally grinning once more, "I am. But I just...need to know..." He dug into his jacket pocket, looking down into his jacket to do so. The box slid out into his hand, and he took in a deep breath before opening it and holding it out to the other man. "...if you would stick around for...I dunno, how’s ‘forever’ sound?"

Gary's irises were tiny pinpricks of green in the whites of his eyes as he stared down at the box held out over the table. His hand had frozen in grasping for his glass again. For a few moments, he didn't move at all, until he made a creaky, strangled sound and looked back up at Ash's face. Ash wasn't sure on what to say...he'd worked and worked on what to say for months, but nothing had sounded right. So, with his partner looking at him like a Stantler in the headlights, he took a deep breath and just said whatever came to mind.

"I know that...we don't have to be married to spend more time together...to spend the rest of our lives together. But I want to. If I'm gonna settle anywhere, I want it to be with you. I want to come home to _you_. I don't think I've ever felt the way I feel about you before...I dunno if it's even possible from what my friends've told me." That got a very weak laugh out of the other man, who rubbed at one of his eyes much like his grandfather had a couple months before. It made Ash smile just a little more. "I love you. Would you marry me?"

Gary was not a crier by any stretch of the imagination, but he was trying very hard to uphold that then. "You're so _fucking_ retarded..." He growled, trying to keep his bottom lip from quivering. Slowly, he reached into the box and picked up the ring nestled in the silk, examining it with wide and wet eyes. "...This is _Amber_ \-- is that a--?! Wh...Ash, do you have any idea what this is worth...?!"

"Not enough."

That was it. Gary's hand snapped out and grabbed the other man by the tie, pulling him closer and into a kiss. Two things happened then: their friends stood up from their tables and began to applaud, and the Gym out in the city suddenly lit up to its brightest, spouting fireworks from the spire. They held their kiss without regards to either thing for a few moments, until Gary was drawn in by the colors out the window and turned slightly away while Ash nuzzled one of the tears off his face. "...Fireworks, Ash?" Gary asked with a hiccup.

Ash merely shrugged. "Pays to know people. So...? Is that a 'yes'?" He got a small nod in return and carefully took the ring from Gary's fingers, taking one of the man's hands and gently placing it onto one of the researcher's fingers. "...Looks good on you. Know what else would look good on you...?" When Gary gave him a puzzled look, Ash smirked. "Me."

"I make everything look good, even you." Was Gary's immediate retort, followed by a happy smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> So that was a thing.
> 
> Usually my forte's been writing awful, depressing sort of shit and I wanted to break up the monotony a little by writing this out. Again, it was finished some time ago and I just never really got around to putting it up because I had issues with it. I figure it's been long enough without anything new here, so, here you go.
> 
> On that note, please don't ask me about other stories in the comments. I'm not sure what I'm doing with them just yet.
> 
> I don't think I'll be putting any follow up to this story, so you're all free to assume what might happen. I toyed with the idea of writing out the actual wedding, but honestly it would be much of the same thing - Ash running drastically behind, his friends covering his ass and things ending on a cute note - and I really didn't want to rehash it. Plus, me trying to make continuations of things really doesn't end well (as long time readers of my shit know - I'm sorry).
> 
> Thanks for hanging around. I promise, I'm not dead, I'm just lazy/procrastinate a lot/probably have some sort of emotional instability that causes me to freak at the drop of a hat. I'm working on those things. Y'know. Sometimes. Cheers.


End file.
